Review of the Influence of L1 in L2 Acquisition

View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE

provided by CSCanada.net: E-Journals (Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture,...

ISSN 1923-1555[Print] Studies in Literature and Language ISSN 1923-1563[Online] Vol. 9, No. 2, 2014, pp. 57-60 www.cscanada.net DOI: 10.3968/5721 www.cscanada.org

WANG Zhanming[a],*

[a]Southwest University, Chongqing, China. progress of universal grammar. And in the fifth part, also *Corresponding author. a very important part, the interlanguage theory will be Received 11 July 2014; accepted 30 September 2014 introduced. At last is the list of references. Published online 26 October 2014 1. L1 AND L2 ACQUISITION Abstract L1 has a significant influence on second language study. 1.1 Definition However, how L1 influence L2 is very complicated What is L1 acquisition? The L1 acquisition, according and abstract. But to study the mechanism of how L1 to Susan Gass and Larry Selinker, is the process a child influence L2 is significant because L2 acquisition is learns his or her first language. While SLA refers to the making contribution on many fields like education and process of learning another language after the native psychology. L1 is one of the central elements influencing language has been learned. (Gass & Selinker, 2008) It is SLA. In this course paper, we are going to overview what not just the second language one learns, even the process linguists have done about L1 and L2 and what approaches of third, fourth, and fifth language one learns, are all and theories they have made. called SLA. Second language acquisition is different form Key words: L1 transfer; Second language acquisition; foreign language learning. The latter refers to the process Universal grammar one learns a nonnative language in the place of his or her native environment. For example, a Chinese person learns Wang, Z. M. (2014). Review of the Influence of L1 in L2 English in China. While, second language acquisition, on Acquisition. Studies in Literature and Language, 9(2), 57-60. Available the other hand, refers to learning one learns a nonnative from: http://www.cscanada.net/index.php/sll/article/view/5721 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/5721 language in that nonnative environment. For example, that Chinese person we mentioned just now, learns English in the USA. The point of both the L1 and L2 acquisition, is the word acquisition. People acquire the first or second INTRODUCTION language, not just learn them consciously. The process of second language acquisition, or L2, 1.2 Process of L1 Acquisition has been influenced by so many factors, and the first The significance of studying the process of L1 acquisition language, or L1, maybe the one of the greatest factors. So is great. Because much SLA research parallels L1 many linguists have researched the relationship between acquisition especially in the 1960s and 1970s. To study L1 and L2 acquisition, and they also have proposed many one acquire his or her first language is to study a child’s reconcilable and irreconcilable opinions. On the basis, this behavior. Language is a form of communication, but paper mainly focuses on some factors of the influence of children communicate long before they have language— L1 in L2 acquisition. In the first part, the definition of L1 at least in the way we normally think of language. Anyone and L2 acquisition will be given. In the second part, the who has lived in a household with an infant is aware of L1 transfer will be mainly discussed. While in the third the various means that infants have at their disposal to part, we can see the role of L1 from the historical and communicate their needs. The most efficient of these is modern view. Then move to the fourth part, which is the crying, but there are other more pleasant means as well.

Some of these include smiling and cooing. Coos are not 2.2 Sounds Transfer precisely like the regular speech sounds of language, but The most enduring and prominent phenomenon in L1 they do suggest that infants are aware of sounds and their transfer is sounds transfer. In the SLA, it is widely found potential significance. For example, from approximately that L2 learners’ pronunciation is deeply influenced four to seven months, infants use these cooing sounds to by their L1 and deviate the pronunciation of the native play with such language-related phenomena as loudness speakers. So the function of L1 transfer plays a very and pitch (Foster-Cohen, 1999). The most widely important role in SLA of sounds. accepted process of L1 has those elements. They are bablling, words, sounds and pronunciation, syntax, and 2.3 Words Transfer morphology. Some linguists found that if there are many similarities In this chapter, we have discussed what is L1 and of words between L1 and L2, learners feel easier to L2, the difference between SLA and foreign language learn the target language and vice versa. This is why learning, and the process of L1 acquisition. The last part, French students feel easier than Chinese students when L1 acquisition, has strongly influenced the whole study both of them are studying English. For the reason that in of SLA. Because linguists cannot just study the process English, there are many words borrowed from French. of L2 acquisition alone without any reference system. When French students come across those words, they feel The study of L1 acquisition is a very good reference no difficulties remembering them. While Chinese and system for the study of SLA. Linguists have made many English belong to different language systems. There are conclusions through comparing L1 and L2 acquisition. few similar words between the two languages. So Chinese However, SLA is not just the same with L1 acquisition. students feel more difficult to learn English than French It has its own feathers and when a person acquires L2, he students do. or she will be influenced by his or her L1. We will further 2.4 Syntax Transfer discuss the influence in the following chapters. The syntax transfer contains syntax structure, such as word order, negative sentence, interrogative and relative clause 2. TRANSFER and so on. The positive and negative transfer are existent at the same time. According to behaviorism theories, 2.1 Definition when the sentence pattern of L1 and L2 is different, the The word transfer was first being used a century ago. mistake will come into being. According to contrastive Whitney first used this word in linguistics to describe analysis hypothesis, when L1 is different from L2, L1 will the influence of cross-language. However, till 1950s and interference the SLA. In other words, all the L1 transfer in 1960s, this word became popular in linguistics. In 1986, SLA is negative transfer. When the mode is the same of L1 Sajavaara proposed that in psychology, transfer is a kind and L2, the positive transfer comes into being. of influence from old knowledge to new knowledge. 2.5 Culture Transfer That is to say, when a person studies new knowledge, Culture transfer is a kind of influence made by the his old knowledge will influence the process of his new difference between L1 and L2. L2 learners tern to express knowledge learning, and the whole influence is called themselves in their own habit from their culture. transfer. Fries and Lado later, introduce the word transfer In this chapter, we discuss the L1 transfer in SLA. It is to the study of SLA. Corder (1973) claimed that SLA obvious that L1 transfer exists in all the language structure is the accumulation of action. Everyone can master a level. And we have analyzed the transfer from the aspect language if he or she wants to. So the mistakes made in of sounds, words, syntax and culture. We found that L1 SLA are explained as a kind of interference of L1 when plays a very complicated role in SLA. Zobl asserted that the learners are learning the target language. And this kind there is a projection phenomenon is language acquisition. of interference is called negative transfer. The similarities Ringborn (1987) made the point that the level of L2 is between L1 and L2 are thought to help the SLA. So that is a key factor of transfer degree. And Odlin (1989) put positive transfer. In other words, the distinctions between forward that just as the using of cognate words, positive L1 and L2 cause difficulties and mistakes in SLA, while transfer happens on the basis of highly proficiency. Too the similarities promote it. However, Chomsky (1959), many linguists proposed too many opinions. This area is Selinker (1972) and Ellis (1985) emphasized the inner waiting for more linguist to study. elements of human’s brain and they contended that there is something in mind which can help the language acquisition. Now, it is commonly believe that it is biased 3. ROLE OF L1 FROM THE HISTORICAL to conclude that the habit of using L1 can influence SLA. Here we divided L2 transfer into four levels: sounds AND MODERN VIEW transfer, words transfer, syntax transfer and culture In the second page of Lado’s book, Linguistics Across transfer. Cultures, he stated that individuals tend to transfer the

Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture 58 WANG Zhanming (2014). Studies in Literature and Language, 9(2), 57-60 forms and meanings, and the distribution of forms and learners to figure out the difference. Stockwell, Bowen meanings of their native language and culture to the and Martin once conducted a form about hierarchy of foreign language and culture—both productively when difficulty. attempting to speak the language and to act in the culture, Table 1 and receptively when attempting to grasp and understand Category and Example the language and the culture as practiced by natives. Category Example 3.1 Behaviorism English L1, Italian L2: To know versus sapere/ Differentiation conoscere 3.1.1 Linguistic Background In Bloomfield’s classic work, Language (1933), he New category Japanese L1, English L2: Article system provides a very elaborate description of how those Absent category English L1, Japanese L2: Article system behaviorists conceive language. Coalescing Italian L1, English L2: The verb to know The most basic position of behaviorist is that language Correspondence English L1, Italian L2: Plurality is speech rather than writing. That is to say, speech comes first, then comes writing. The reason why they hold this 3.3 Error Analysis idea is that firstly, most of the children learn to speak Error analysis is a kind of linguistic analysis which focuses before they learn to write. Secondly, there are many areas on the errors learners make when they produce the target have no written language, but they have oral language. language. The main distinction between error analysis 3.1.2 Psychological Background and contrastive analysis is that the former compares the Learning is a cumulative process. The more knowledge target language form with the target language made by and skills an individual acquires, the more likely it learners, while the latter studies the differences between becomes that his new learning will be shaped by his past L1 and L2. Error analysis was first studied for education experiences and activities. An adult rarely, if ever, learns during 1950s and 1960s. When the article titled “The anything completely new; however unfamiliar the task significance of learners’ errors” written by Corder (1967) that confronts him, the information and habits he has built came, things changed. In this article, he held the idea that up in the past will be his point of departure. Thus transfer errors are not just errors made by language learners. They of training from old to new situations is part and parcel of have some significance. Through those errors, we can find most, if not all, learning. In this sense the study of transfer some kind of system of how learners learn L2, and by is coextensive with the investigation of learning (Postman, studying this system, error analysis can not only use for 1971). education, but also for psychology and linguistics. He also distinguished, in his article, between errors and mistakes. 3.2 Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis Mistakes are made by learners just by chance, and Contrastive analysis is a way of comparing language learners can recognize what mistakes they have made and in order to determine potential errors for the ultimate correct them. However, errors are systematic. Every time purpose of isolating what needs to be learned and what learners come across this form, they will make mistakes does not need to be learned in a second-language-learning and they cannot recognize them. That is to say, mistakes situation (Gass & Selinker, 2008). are accidental and can be recognized while errors are Duskova (1984) once conducted an experiment and systematic and unconscious. got some data which showed that when Czech learn English and Russian, they will transfer bound morphemes 3.4 Modern View on the Role of L1 to Russian but they will not transfer them to English. 3.4.1 Child Second Language Morpheme Order Another example is also worth attention. Zobl (1980) once Studies found according to the data of an experiment that when Around 1970s, morpheme order studies became popular French learners learn English, they never make mistake in SLA. The most popular study at that time is L1 = L2 about the word order of object pronouns and verb. For the Hypothesis, which propos by Dulay and Burt (1974a, fact that in French, object pronouns precede the verb, but 1974b, 1975). This hypothesis mainly means that in English, object pronouns follow the verb. The result children’s SLA is similar to their L1 acquisition. Chomsky of the experiment is interesting because French learners (1959) was once against Skinner’s idea on behaviorism never made mistake about the word order when they made for SLA. The former’s position indicated that L1 transfer English sentence. However, English learners always put is not the most important thing influencing the SLA. In the object pronouns after the verb when they made French order to challenge the transfer theory, George (1972) once sentence, just as they made they NL sentence. This result conducted a experiment which showed that one third of showed that the habit of L1 maybe transfer to the target the errors were attributable to the NL, while Dulay and language, but it maybe not. Burt (1975) also got some data which showed that less Another experiment is about the difficulty. If L1 has than 5% were so attributable. And they developed a theory one form but L2 has two, it is comparatively difficult for which called creative construction.

The process in which children gradually reconstruct SUMMARY rules for speech they hear, guided by universal innate mechanisms which cause them to formulate certain types All in all, in the process of SLA, the way of thinking of L1 of hypotheses about the language system being acquired, is very common. It promotes the study of L2 and it also until the mismatch between what they are exposed to and constrains the study of L2. In the process of SLA, L1 is an what they produce is resolved Dulay and Burt (1974a). important basis for language study. It can help learners to Lakshmanan (1995) asserted that according to his classify the language input, and help learner improve their research, children may have a universal principle which language learning ability. But its negative influence can constrains their SLA, not because of L1 transfer. not be neglected. To study the L1 and L2 acquisition is to figure out the difference between them. 3.5.2 Adult Second Language Morpheme Order Studies We have discussed many linguists finds of the morpheme REFERENCES order, but they are all about children. Bailey, Madden, and Bailey, N., Madden, C., & Krashen, S. (1974). Is there a “natural Krashen (1974) conducted a study about the morpheme sequence” in adult second language learning? Language order on adults’ SLA. They use the study of Dulay and learning, 24, 235-243. Burt by adding a group of adults. The result is similar to Bloomfield, L. (1933). Language. New York: Holt, Rinehart Dulay and Burt’s. Larsen-Freeman (1975a, 1975b) found and Winston. that Japanese learners had lower scores of English article Chomsky, N. (1959). Review of B. F. Skinner. Verbal behavior. than other countries’ learners. Meanwhile, Hakuta (1974b) Language, 35, 26-58. found that Japanese learners’ morpheme order is different Corder, S. P. (1967). The significance of learners’ errors. from other countries’ learners. International Review of Applied Linguistics, 5, 161-170. In this chapter we have discussed a historical overview Dulay, H., & Burt, M. (1974a). Natural sequences in child second of the role of L1 in SLA and modern view of SLA. There language acquisition. Language learning, 24, 37-53. are so many linguists have made effort on it. However, Dulay, H., & Burt, M. (1974b). You can’t learn without goofing. their ideas are different. This field needs more freshmen In J. Richards (Ed.), Error analysis: Perspectives on second to study. language acquisition (pp.95-123). London: Longman. Duskova, L. (1984). Similarity—An aid or hindrance in foreign language learning? Folia Linguisitca, 18, 103-115 4. UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR Foster-Cohen, S. (1999). An introduction to child language Universal Grammar approach, or UG approach is a development. London: Longman. very revolutionary approach. The point is that despite Hakuta, K. (1974b). Prefabricated patterns and the emergence of of countries, all human beings have the same abstract structure in second language learning. Language learning, principales of language and core grammar have been 24, 287-297. rooted in our mind before we are born. Cook, in 1997, has Lakshmanan, U. (1995). Child second language acquisition of given this conclusion. syntax. Studies in Second language Acquisition, 17, 301-329. Larsen-Freeman, D. (1975a). The acquisition of grammatical 4.1 UG Principles morphemes by adult ESL students. TESOL Quarterly, 9, Otsu and Naoi (1986) once proposed that the notion of 409-430. structural dependency makes the system of language Larsen-Freeman, D. (1975b). The acquisition of grammatical different from other systems. Schachter (1989) conducted some experiments to support this approach. morphemes by adult learners of English as a second language (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of 4.2 UG Parameters Michigan, Ann Arbor. UG parameters are sets of options for syntax set up the Postman, L. (1971). Transfer, interference and forgetting. In J. generalized principales of UG. W. Kling & L. A. Riggs (Eds.). Woodworth and schlosberg’s It is of interest that some recent proposals suggest that experimental psychology (pp.1019-1132). New York: Holt, the possibility of VS word order is not, in fact, part of Rinehart and Winston. the pro-drop parameter, but derives from other principles Ringborn, H. (1987). The role of the first language in foreign of grammar (Chao, 1981; Safir, 1982; Hyams, 1983), a language learning. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters. position that these results would be consistent with (White, Zobl, H. (1980). The formal and developmental selectivity of L1 1985). influence on L2 acquisition. Language learning, 30, 43-57.